Southern Exposure
by tsora17
Summary: The 10th Doctor and Brenda Leigh pair up to solve a series of mysterious murders and discover that they make a good team in more ways than one.
1. Let's Make a Deal

**I do not own any rights to Doctor Who or the Closer. I just thought that they are quite similar and would fit in well on a little adventure. Please take the time to review. Cheers! ;)

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Brenda Leigh knew that she shouldn't be listening on the police scanner, but she couldn't help herself. As she turned it on in her father's car, Clay Johnson just rolled his eyes but said nothing. If it's one thing he knew, it was that not much could stop his little girl from getting her way.

She had flown into Atlanta easily enough two weeks ago, but her father had point blank refused to fly from there to Nashville only to have to rent a car to drive the rest of the way to Jackson, Tennessee. Great Aunt Emma had not been ill long, but she had asked to see Brenda the next time she was back home, and Clay was determined she would go.

Brenda's memories of her great aunt were minimal. Images of hot summer days, vinegar slaw, and black banana pudding infiltrated her mind more than a picture of her face. She hoped that this would not be a repeat. But a drought in the height of summer was not a promising start. Still, Brenda had agreed to a quick visit, and then Clay would take her onto Memphis to catch a plane back to LA, her unit, and Fritz.

The scanner had been fairly quiet, even through Nashville, and Brenda twirled her long blonde hair out of boredom. Her father didn't say much except to state every so often that he'd hoped she and Fritz would marry soon so he'd still be around to know his grandchildren. In the middle of his latest banter, the traffic on the radio increased:

"11-44 to the BP station off of I-40 Exit 108."

Brenda's eyes widened, "Daddy, they just asked for a coroner."

Clay looked over at his daughter, "Girl, I know what an 11-44 is."

Brenda's feet started tapping her high heels making soft but audible thuds on the rubber floor mats. She craned her neck trying to view the gas gauge, "Don't you think we need some gas, Daddy?" She crooned in her sweetest voice.

"Hmmp, let me guess, the BP station off of Exit 108?"

Brenda smiled her widest, "That's the one."

* * *

They could see the flashing lights as they came off the interstate. Clay pulled into the BP and barely came to a stop before Brenda opened the car door, "Daddy, I won't be a minute."

As Clay watched his daughter walk towards the blue flashing lights, all he could say was, "Hmmp."

Brenda walked around to the huge trashcan at the back of the store and noticed a blue phone box tucked close beside the main building. It struck her as odd that a British police call box would be in the back waters of Tennessee, but that thought left her as she tried to get a better look at the two bodies being pulled out of the dumpster.

Scanning the crowd of people, Brenda realized she wasn't the only one wanting a better look. A tall thin man in a blue suit, wild hair, and intense eyes, was standing right beside her. He was too close to her for her liking, but he stood there oblivious to the fact that he was infringing on her personal space. He watched her as she pulled out her badge.

Now, he looked at her as if he was seeing her for the first time. Brenda was in her pink v-neck sweater, pink flowered skirt, and light pink cardigan jacket. Blonde hair and pink clothes: why was this combination a weakness for him? But he dragged himself from thoughts of Rose as Brenda was about to speak. She had her mouth open to address the policeman standing guard when he interruppted, "Hallo, I'm Dr. John Smith, this is my assistant." He produced his own credentials, flashed them at the officer but above where Brenda could see them, and nodded towards Brenda as he said 'assistant'.

The officer looked at him blankly. Then the Doctor added, "We're here for the bodies."

The officer considered them for a moment, making the translation of the Doctor's British accent in his southern mind, nodded, and let both of them through. The tall man grinned at her. She didn't know whether to be angry that he had lied about her being his assistant or be thankful to him for getting her through. As Brenda replaced her credentials in her handbag, she decided she'd consider that later.

"So, Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson of the LAPD, you're a long way from home." The Doctor leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"I might say the same of you, in fact, even longer, Dr. Smith."

He stopped in his tracks. "What?"

"Well, even from Tennessee, we're closer to LA than the UK, aren't we?"

"Oh, right."

They reached the bodies, and Brenda kneeled down by the side of the first victim. The Doctor walked to the opposite side. By the time they looked back to each other, both had put on their black-framed glasses. They gave each other questioning looks, but said nothing.

The victims, a man and a woman, both stared lifelessly into space. Water came from both mouths. In fact, water seemed to ooze from every pore of their bodies. The Doctor held his sonic screwdriver over one and then the second body.

He said, almost to himself, "Drowned."

"Drowned? But there's not water enough around here to drown a rat."

"Exactly. So what killed them?"

"What? Don't you mean 'who'?"

Before the Doctor could respond, two policemen walked up to see the bodies again. "It just don't feel right. This is the third couple kilt this way in a month. First, that one at Paris Landing, then the one in Dyersburg, now this."

"Any connection made yet between the three?" The second officer responded.

"Well, they'd all been to Reelfoot Lake in the week before the murder, but that's all." The officer noticed the Doctor and Brenda. He gave the Doctor a big clap on the shoulder, "Well, how soon can you get them out of here, Doc?"

The Doctor spun around to his full height and whipped off his glasses, "Oh, not long. But my assistant and I need to go back and get a few things. Had no idea they'd be so," he searched for the right word, "moist."

The officer nodded and the Doctor grabbed Brenda's hand and pulled her after him before she could protest.

When they were out of earshot of the officers, Brenda pulled her hand with all her might stopping the Doctor in his tracks. "What exactly is going on here, Dr. Smith?"

"Well, I got you a better look at the bodies. Now you can go your way and I'll go mine."

"Hold on. You mean I'll go my way and you'll go to Reelfoot. I don't think so. I could go over there right now and tell them that you lied."

"Lied? Lied! I never lied!"

Brenda raised an eyebrow.

"Omitting information and lying are not the same. We were here to get a better look at the bodies."

"What about the part of me being your assistant?"

"I can't help the fact that you didn't assist me."

"You never gave me a chance, Dr. Smith." Brenda put on her sweet voice again as she produced a soaked hotel brochure.

"Where'd you find that then?"

"Oh, only in the victim's coat pocket."

The Doctor reached for it, but Brenda edged away. "Now, Dr. Smith, why don't we make a deal? We agree to share information with each other and solve this case together. After all, I'm sure we both want to see these killings stopped and the person responsible put away." Brenda held out her hand to shake his.

The Doctor considered the blonde powerhouse for a moment. "Ok, you have a deal, but you should know that you might be getting more than you bargained for. By the way, you should know it's not Dr. Smith – just the Doctor, Ms. Johnson."

"Ok, Doctor, but let's drop the Ms. Johnson – just Brenda." She continued to hold her hand out to him.

The Doctor took her hand and gave it a hearty shake, while both grinned awkwardly to each other.

Suddenly, a thought jumped into Brenda's mind. She released the Doctor's hand and ran towards the gas pumps. "Don't you go anywhere, Doctor. I'll be back in just a minute. I gotta go talk to Daddy."

The Doctor's eyes followed Brenda running in her high heels for a moment before the horror of it sunk in, "Daddy?"


	2. Daddy

**As always, I do not own any of the characters - only my plot. Thank you for those that have read and especially to my one reviewer! Hope you enjoy!

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**Ch 2 - Daddy  
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It would have been so easy to simply slip into the Tardis and be on his way. Since he was forced to leave Donna back in Chiswick in order to save her sanity, the Doctor had been determined to go it alone. But no matter where he turned, people just kept tagging along, first Jackson and then Christina. He couldn't even bring himself to think about Adelaide Brook or the Ood in the snow just now. His song may have to end soon, but he had a lot of living to do first.

The Doctor's latest companions didn't stay long, but he had needed their help all the same and, he hated to admit it, he had enjoyed their company. Maybe it was loneliness, maybe he found Brenda's ingenuity intriguing, maybe he saw something of himself in the determinedness of the blonde powerhouse, but something kept him rooted to the spot and not on the other side of those familiar blue doors.

However, the Doctor had more than second thoughts as a tall bald man carrying a suitcase came barreling along in front of Brenda. Suitcase? Well, at least it was only one not like Donna's menagerie. And no hatbox – that was a good sign. The Doctor brought his focus back to the man again: this must be 'Daddy'.

"Now, Daddy, Dr. Smith is quite capable of taking me to the station."

Clay Johnson planted the suitcase on the grown, pulled himself to his full height, and looked the Doctor squarely in the eye. "Young man, my daughter tells me that you've asked her help in this investigation."

Something instinctively made the Doctor gulp, "Yes, sir. I did. That was me."

"Now, I'm not saying Brenda Leigh can't take care of herself. But, I want you to understand something perfectly clear."

The Doctor seriously kept his eyes on Clay without looking away.

"If anything happens to Brenda, my baby girl, the bobbies will be sending your British butt home bit by bit."

A grin crept up on the Doctor's face as he couldn't help laugh out loud, "Ah, awesome alliteration, sir. Absolutely astounding array of articu. . ."

Clay's eyebrows fell to make two straight lines across his face.

"Absolutely safe. Ms. Johnson will be absolutely safe with me sir."

"Hmmp." Clay turned to Brenda. "Remember, you need to be in Jackson by Wednesday. Aunt Emma's expecting you, and I didn't drive all this way to see her by myself."

"Yes, Daddy." Brenda leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.

Clay stopped himself in mid-turn and waved his index finger at the Doctor, "Oh, and no funny business, her fiancé's with the FBI."

Brenda let out a hiss, "Daddy!" She hated the way he still treated her like a teenager, but she learned a long time ago that with some things she just had to humour him.

All the Doctor could come out with was another, "Yes, sir."

As Clay left, Brenda put on her embarrassed grin, "That was . . ."

" 'Daddy', yes, I gathered that."

"I hope he didn't embarrass you too much."

"No, it's fine." The Doctor hated to admit that he was once again cowered by parent. Somehow they always made him feel like he was 150 years old again, back on Gallifrey, being chewed out by an elder for one misdemeanor or another.

He should introduce Clay Johnson to Jackie Tyler. They'd get on like a house on fire. Tyler. Rose Tyler. Oh, now he'd done it. Thinking of Rose again. Even though he'd left her on that alternate Earth with an alternate self, HE still missed her.

"Doctor, I am sorry if Daddy insulted you." Brenda's sweetest southern drawl brought him back to earth.

"What?" The Doctor shook his head trying to get his thoughts away from Rose. "No, of course not. Let's go." He immediately walked toward the Tardis.

"Where's your car?

"We'll get going soon enough. I just need you to take a look inside here first."

"In a phone box?"

"Yes. In a phone box." The Doctor opened up the door to the Tardis to let Brenda step through.

As soon as Brenda stepped inside, she immediately came out again. Giving the Doctor an incredulous look, she walked around the outside of the blue box tapping the doors until finally standing in front of him again.

"That's the Tardis – Time and relative dimension in space. It's my 'car' as it were."

Brenda still looked on in awe.

"Listen, I understand if you can't handle it. Not many people can."

"But it's bigger on the inside. No technology on Earth can do that."

"Well, now that you mention it, I'm not exactly from Earth."

"You're an alien?" Brenda couldn't help laughing. "Prove it." All she saw in front of her was a tall skinny Brit with wild hair and rich brown eyes that she couldn't look away from. What was she doing? Falling for a good-looking foreigner was not on her agenda. Think of the case. Think of Fritz for goodness sake.

At her laughter, the Doctor's indignancy flared. He took a big step to close the distance between them and grabbed Brenda's hand placing it against his chest so that she could feel his heart beat. Her smile quickly faded as he moved her hand to the other side of his chest so that she could feel his second heart beat.

"Two hearts." Brenda whispered in awe. "You're really not human?"

"No. I'm a Time Lord. The Tardis allows me to travel in space and time." He paused as Brenda took it all in. Oh, this bit was always the most tedious part. The only way he had any pleasure in this part anymore was to time each individual's reaction. The quicker Brenda accepted, the sooner they'd be able to get on with the interesting bits. Maybe it was all too much for Brenda?

He suddenly realized that he was still holding her hand firmly to his chest. She was so close that he inhaled her perfume for the first time and it made him go weak. Scents of rose, jasmine, and peaches mingled with Brenda's own. He'd never had this sort of reaction to someone so quickly. What was he doing? The last thing he needed was a romantic misunderstanding. At least Brenda had a fiancé. He didn't want this to turn out like another Martha. The Doctor gently released her hand and took a step back.

"Listen, it's ok if you don't want to do this anymore. One quick trip and I can drop you off at Aunt Emma's. You can be there before your father even."

With a quick glance at the Doctor, Brenda's smile widened, "Not on your life!" She stopped herself - hating to admit that she was not thrilled about going to see family. "I mean, not when there's a murderer on the loose." She thought a moment, "So, we can be up at Reelfoot Lake before a car could get there?"

"Oh, absolutely." The Doctor patted the side of the Tardis affectionately. "The old girl may have some miles on her but she's still fast."

"What are we waiting for then?" Brenda's grin was infectious and the Doctor relaxed a little more his own smile beaming down at her.

"Allow me then, Brenda." The Doctor picked up her suitcase and pushed the door back further allowing her easier entrance to the Tardis.

Brenda pushed her long blonde hair out of her eyes and looked up at him as she stepped into the Tardis. "Why, thank you, Doctor, thank you so much."


	3. Just Acting

**A big thank you to my two reviewers!!!! Please keep telling me your thoughts on my little story. I do not own either the Doctor or the Closer - just my little plot.

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As Brenda stepped from the Tardis slinging her huge handbag over her shoulder, she gasped. Amazed to find herself facing the exact same image as the brochure taken from the dead man's jacket, Brenda allowed herself a moment of awe before sizing up the new surroundings. A community of log cabins in various sizes nestled among the trees and looked out to the still waters and rising cypress of Reelfoot Lake. The sun gleamed low against the western sides of the green metal roofs and the cicadas' hum was in full swing.

"I don't believe it." Brenda whispered, almost to herself.

The Doctor emerged and glanced from the brochure to the scene in front of him. "Neither do I."

Brenda looked up questioningly, "What?"

"Well, I mean, the Tardis is good, but not normally this accurate."

Not knowing quite how to respond, Brenda simply nodded, "Why don't we go and have a word with the owner?" She started to walk off in direction of the cabin that had "Office" written over the door.

But the Doctor put his hand out to stop her, "Hold on. You're just going to walk up and ask him if he knows why two of his last customers downed on dry land?"

"No. I'm not. We are going to check into cabin 10 and have a look around." She showed the Doctor where a dark circle could still be seen around the description of the tenth cabin.

"That is," Brenda paused a wicked glint in her eye, "If you're not chicken?"

"Chicken? What? Me, chicken? Absolutely not."

"Good. Would you mind getting my suitcase? We need to look as authentic as possible."

"Right." He nodded, "Authentic."

Brenda started walking away a bit slower than usual with her high heels less stable on the uneven ground.

"Hold on, authentic as what?" The Doctor called after her.

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By the time the Doctor made it to the office with Brenda's suitcase, she was already in full conversation with the owner. She leaned over the counter twirling locks of her blonde hair around her finger. The further she leaned, the more her shapely legs were exposed. When her skirt reached mid-thigh, the Doctor forced himself to look away. The Doctor didn't know what surprised him more: her complete change of character or the effect she was having on him.

A large man with white hair and beard sat behind the desk on a stool. The Doctor's first thought was of Father Christmas until the man pulled out a knife with a six-inch serrated blade and began cleaning underneath his fingernails. Then, the Doctor noticed the large tattoo on the man's right forearm. No, definitely not Father Christmas.

Brenda's head turned as the Doctor came in, but she turned back to the old man. "So, is cabin 10 available, Mr. Williams? It's just that we had some friends stay here a few years ago, and they simply loved cabin 10."

"Well, let's see here. Yes, ma'am, 10 is available."

"Great!" Brenda jumped a little in excitement. "We'll take it."

"If you'd just be good enough to sign in, Mr. and Mrs….?"

The Doctor started to wave his hand between himself and Brenda. He chimed in almost automatically, "Oh, we're not …"

What halted the Doctor was Brenda's right high heel strategically placed on the Doctor's foot. He swallowed his "Ow" with more finesse than Brenda expected as she took over, "We're not sure how long we'll be staying. Is that o.k., Mr. Williams?"

"Yes, ma'am, it is." The old man tried to size them up, "But you are married, aren't you? I don't take to all this new fangled way young-uns live now. Livin' in sin – that's what it is."

A look of horror flashed across the Doctor's eyes as Brenda stepped closer to him, put her arm around his middle, and leaned into him. He could feel her – a hypnotizing combination of toned arms and soft breast. She shook her wavy blonde hair out of her face and leaned up kissing his cheek. Without warning, his hearts started beating faster. Oh, this was not fair.

Brenda focused back on the owner, "Actually, Mr. Williams, we're newlyweds." She flashed her engagement ring, Fritz's engagement ring. "I'm afraid that my husband is still getting used to saying the 'm' word."

"Aw, alright, then. Visa or Master Card? I don't take Discover or American Express. Says so on the door."

It took the Doctor a moment to realize that both Brenda and Mr. Williams were looking straight at him. "Ah," he fumbled around in his pockets. For a moment he thought about using the sonic paper, but thought better of it. Almost without thinking, the Doctor leaned down, his lips grazing Brenda's ear, "Love, I seem to have left my wallet in the car." He was determined he could play this game as well as Brenda.

She consciously willed herself not to jump in response, but couldn't hide her reaction completely from the Doctor who grinned down at her.

"Of course, dear." Brenda pulled out her wallet, produced her credit card, and tried to ignore him.

"Thank you," the old man looked down at the card, "Mr. and Mrs. Johnson."

"It's the Doctor."

"Oh, sorry, Dr. and Mrs. Johnson."

A sense of confusion crossed his face for a second, "No, it's . . ."

"Fine, Mr. Williams, just fine." Brenda reached over for her receipt and the key. "Thank you so much for all your help. Come along, dear." With that, Brenda grabbed the suitcase and left the office.

The Doctor turned to follow, but a big tattooed arm reached over the counter and caught him. "Now, boy, I've got one word of advice to you."

"Mr. Williams?"

"If that lovely lady were my wife, boy, I sure wouldn't be shy about it."

The Doctor gulped, "Oh, yes, sir," and went out in search of Brenda. This was not going as he planned.

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When the Doctor reached the porch of the cabin, he had already discretely scanned the cabin with his sonic screwdriver. Brenda opened the door to take in the suitcase, but had returned to stand in the entrance waiting for him. The Doctor grimly tucked the screwdriver back in his jacket and walked up to her with a determined look on his face.

"I thought that went rather well, Doctor. But, you could have been a little more. . ."

Before she could finish her thought, the Doctor swept her up in his arms and carried her the rest of the way over the threshold and into the cabin kicking the door closed behind him. He felt her start to protest a little so he leaned to her head and whispered into her ear, "The old man's watching us, and he's got listening devices throughout this house. We need to put on a show if he's going to believe that we're married. How good are you at faking it?"

Brenda's body relaxed at the Doctor's explanation. Thinking back to when she had used flimsy plastic cups to beat on her chest as she re-enacted the screams that had made the boy confess to killing his parents and sister, "Oh, I believe I can manage, Doctor."

"You understand that this is just so we can keep our cover?"

"Absolutely."

Brenda drew back and looked at the Doctor. His plan was sound. They'd just be acting. But for some reason, Brenda thought she saw fear behind his eyes.

He reached the foot of the huge four-poster bed and set Brenda down on top of it. For a moment, their eyes locked. Certain he was loosing his nerve, Brenda sprung from the bed and pulled him down for a full kiss. While the Doctor's response was by no means frigid, he was definitely tense. She'd have to take the lead if the Doctor wasn't willing to be the instigator. Reluctantly letting him go, Brenda whispered as she tugged on his ear with her teeth, "I better be on top."


End file.
